Cops seek 2 suspects in deadly Bucks home invasion

By Bradley Schlegel,

Friday, January 18, 2013

HILLTOWN -- Authorities are looking for two suspects after a deadly home invasion in which a man was slain and a woman and child tied up in the basement.

Joseph Canazaro, 48, was found dead in his home at 321 Swartley Road in this Bucks County town on Friday morning following an armed home invasion, according to Chris Engelhart, chief of the township's police department.

He said two survivors, a woman and a 12-year-old boy, who were tied up by the suspects, fled the residence and called authorities from a neighbor's house.

"The investigation is very fluid," Engelhart told reporters early Friday afternoon standing near the bottom of the long driveway leading to the scene of the crime. "We're following several leads."

Engelhart told reporters Friday afternoon that Canazaro and the woman -- his girlfriend -- did not own the home.

He said an older child who lives at the home left for school before the incident unfolded, and that both children and the woman were currently being debriefed by detectives at Hilltown police headquarters.

The two suspects, both of whom were wearing masks and carrying handguns, fled the scene in a black Lincoln pickup truck owned by one of the residents, according to Engelhart. The truck was found later Friday in Upper Bucks County, but police declined to reveal the exact location.

He said the two male assailants should be considered armed and dangerous, and that additional weapons may have been taken from the home during the incident.

Authorities were notified of the home invasion around 10 a.m., according to Engelhart.

He said police have not determined how the suspects -- described as a Hispanic man 5feet 9inches tall, and a "smaller Asian male" wearing a black jacket and cargo pants -- got to the house.

"Figuring out how they came to pick this location" is part of the investigation," Engelhart said.

The two men were inside the home, on multiple floors, for several hours, but it's still unknown why and for how long, according to police.

The chief confirmed that Canazaro's body was discovered in a different part of the house than where the three people "were originally accosted."

Authorities did not see any evidence of a particular struggle, according to Engelhart.

He said the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations volunteered to assist township police and Bucks County authorities in the investigation.

"It's not unusual for them to get involved in cases like this," Engelhart said.

The police chief said he was unaware of any bank books being taken from the residence as was previously reported.